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KFAS announces the arrival of a shipment of medical equipment from China

This shipment is part of 4 aircrafts carrying respirators and personal protective equipment

The Foundation is supporting frontline workers by providing protective equipment against infection so they can perform their duties in protecting society

The Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences announced the arrival of artificial respirators and personal protective equipment that the foundation has purchased from China for the benefit of the Ministry of Health, as part of the Foundation's efforts under the emergency response program to limit the spread of the new Corona virus.

Dr. Amani Al-Bedah - Deputy Director General for Support Programs and Functions, responsible for the public health program under the Foundation’s emergency response program - stated that the Foundation was able to purchase and import more than 170 respirators and a large number of medical protection equipment. Part of the shipment has already arrived to the country on the first two planes and the remaining quantities are expected to arrive during this week in order to raise the health system's readiness level to receive critical cases at this stage.

Al-Bedah has also pointed out that the Foundation has allocated 5 million Kuwiti Dinars to purchase priority devices to support the health system, noting that "during the coming week, two military planes are expected to arrive carrying health protection devices that would help protect frontline workers against infection and enable them to perform their duties in protecting society."

She said that the emergency response program that the Foundation has announced in mid-March is one of the largest programs devoted to support the government's efforts in Kuwait. A budget of 10 million Kuwaiti Dinars has been allocated to the program in addition to all of the Foundation’s human resources and its six centers, in order to support the government’s efforts in the areas of education, health, business environment, civil society readiness, media and information technology to limit the spread of the virus and the repercussions of the disease’s spread on society.

Al-Bedah thanked the Ambassador of Kuwait to the People's Republic of China, Mr. Samih Hayat, for his continuous efforts to secure the medical devices and ensure their smooth arrival in this critical period in which the entire world suffers from an acute shortage, as well as Dr. Abdullah Al-Badr, Assistant Undersecretary for Medicines and Medical Equipment in the Ministry of Health for his cooperation to secure the required equipment for the Ministry.

Al-Bedah concluded by stressing that, in addition to purchasing important devices, the emergency response program also focuses on scientific research to support decision-making and field innovations that are of outstanding effectiveness, and contributes to raising community awareness, supporting digital education and empowering the private sector and civil society initiatives. She added that "a group of projects to support the health sector are under review by the Ministry of Health and will be implemented as soon as the Ministry approves them”.